Bowie man charged in PG County 'bottle-bomb' incident

A 20-year-old Bowie man has been arrested and charged with the May 24 detonation of a "bottle-bomb" at a Prince George's County movie theater. Authorities are investigating whether he is responsible for other detonations around the region including one at Arundel Mills mall.

Manuel Joyner was arrested May 31 and charged with manufacture/possession/detonation of a destructive device, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. The arrest was made by officials from the Prince George's County Office of the Fire Marshal (Fire/EMS Department), with assistance from the Prince George's County police.

Police and fire officials searched a home in the 600 block of Stillwater Place in Bowie.

In the May 24 incident, an explosive device went off at a Magic Johnson movie theater in Prince George's County. No one was injured.

Similar incidents have been reported throughout the region in recent months, including one at the Cinemark movie theaters at Arundel Mills on March 8. Prince George's police report that officials from several area jurisdictions were present when the home in Bowie was searched. They included representatives from Anne Arundel and Montgomery counties in Maryland and Fairfax County and the city of Alexandria in Virginia, as well as the FBI and ATF.

Joyner is being investigated in connection with "all of the recent incidents," said Mark E. Brady, a spokesman for the Prince George's County fire department. Additional charges are "forthcoming" from Prince George's County, as well as other area jurisdictions, according to a department news release.

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